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Want to increase the value of your iPhone? Chronic Unlocks offering 9to5Mac readers 20% discounts

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With the new iPhone 5s and 5c rolling in and many users wanting to upgrade to the new devices, it might be wise to increase the value of your phone by unlocking it. Chronic Unlocks, the go-to company for unlocking iPhones (and various Nokias, LGs, BlackBerrys and other smartphones), offers a quick, reliable, and low-cost unlocking service.

An unlocked phone means that the device is no-longer connected to the carrier for which you purchased the device. You can then put in any SIM-card and use the phone worldwide. With international pre-paid SIM-cards and an unlocked phone, you do not have to worry about international roaming charges. For those in the U.S., unlocking an AT&T iPhone would allow you to connect the device to T-Mobile.

Chronic Unlocks also tells us that it has been seeing an average of $100+ extra resale value on iPhones that are sold as unlocked devices. Phones can even be unlocked if the phone is currently on a contract:

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To use the Chronic Unlocks, you head to their website, pick a service based on your phone model, carrier, and desired turnaround time…

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After picking the service you are interested in, you need to locate and enter some specific information about your phone (as seen above). The only information needed that you may not know off hand is your phone’s IMEI number. You can locate this in your iPhone’s Settings app (near where the Serial Number and other information is listed) or by dialing *#06#.

Even though the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are new devices, they are fully supported by Chronic Unlocks. Some have been concerned about the legality of phone unlocking, but Chronic Unlocks completely transparently explains its process and how it is different than other unlock providers:

The number one advantage would only apply to USA users. Because Chronic Unlocks is based in the United States, we must follow US law, including the new provisions that went into effect in January 2013 which supposedly outlaw third-party unlock solutions. We are proud to say that we have worked with our lawyers to structure our system to be 100% in compliance with the letter of the law (perhaps not the “spirit” of it, but that’s not a crime). We realize that there are many competitors out there in the mobile phone unlocking industry, some are legitimate and some are flat out scammers who will mislead individuals, and others are simply not US-based and yield a higher profit margin by providing a solution for US customers that isn’t legal for them to use (and often won’t inform the customer of this, either because they are unfamiliar with the new US laws that are in place or they may not care about liability on their customer’s end). There are different specialty unlockers in this industry and there is room for everyone to thrive, so we’ve made it our goal to focus efforts on being the best, 100% legal, and most reliable provider that we can be. And although we cater to US customers by ensuring all of our methods are only ones that are in compliance with the new laws, we most certainly also offer unlock solutions for a range of other countries, and have many happy customers from such places (Spain, France, UK, Australia, UAE, and more!)

Additionally, the company is offering up a notable discount program for 9to5Mac readers. To get 20% off of an unlock, just enter the following discount codes depending on the service you’d like:

  • AT&T Fast unlock (normally $34.99): 9TO5MACATTFAST
  • AT&T Normal unlock (normally $24.99): 9TO5MACATT

Additionally, the service is offering 15 free unlocks to our readers. To enter for the free unlock, leave a comment explaining why you would like the free unlock. We will message the winners in a week.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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Comments

  1. TrueCopy (@TruthCopy) - 11 years ago

    I’d love to be able to unlock my AT&T iPhone so I can pass it on to my son and he can use it on a T-Mobile prepaid plan… to be able to do it for free (when AT&T won’t do it at all) would be great. Thanks for the chance to win!

    • Rob Spalding - 11 years ago

      I’d like to unlock my phone so I can use a pre-paid service

    • William Blaney - 11 years ago

      What iPhone do you have? If you have had your phone for 2 years you can have At&t unlock it for free. I just unlocked two iPhone 4S’ last week.

    • lanasss - 11 years ago

      Will visit my parents In Europe soon
      didn’t see them for couple of years
      Would love to have my iPhone unlocked so I can use it there
      With family of 7 it’s hard to find extra money
      Would really appreciate it
      Thanks

  2. Jeffrey Lewis - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock so that I can use the phone in other countries.

  3. Gaurav Sharma - 11 years ago

    Travelling internationally with my newly acquired iPhone 5S. Would love to have it unlocked.. !! :)

  4. Would love an unlock. Gotta sell the 4S (currently locked) to afford the new phone…

  5. Roque Rodriguez - 11 years ago

    I’ve had my trusty 4 since day one but with a cracked screen, it’s time to let it go. Unlocking will help me out a great deal and help me score one as well!

  6. Kyle (@krubenok) - 11 years ago

    Just got my 5S and looking to sell my 5 for a good price. An unlock would sure help! Used chronic unlocks before, great experience overall.

  7. Matt Denton (@MbDenton) - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock my AT&T phone for long life and much luck with ladies. And resell value.

  8. Mario Granizo - 11 years ago

    I want to unlock my phone becouse i own Iphones since the first aluminium model, and all steel working. ONe of those are a 3GS, but is Locked, so i`m using it as an iPod, and need to give it to my older child as a phone.

  9. I travel a lot and AT&T does not offer an unlock during my travel and asks me to pay roaming charges. Need your help to get it unlocked and use my iPhone anywhere on the globe.

  10. owine - 11 years ago

    I would like a free unlock because my wallet is locked.

  11. I’d like to unlock my Verizon 5s I bought off contract so I can switch to t-mobile for a cheaper plan.

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      You’re in luck my friend. The Verizon version of the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S actually shipped unlocked, because that is required by law for them. Test out a T-Mobile SIM and it should work.

  12. Use outside US – Can I haz a free unlock plz?

  13. oh, cool. I’d like to unlock for resale value later. Right now though I mostly want the option switch carriers and take phone with me.

  14. Cody Allmon (@codyallmon) - 11 years ago

    I’d love an unlock to be able to make a few extra bucks on my iPhone 5! Thank you guys for providing a great service!

  15. T Tran - 11 years ago

    Currently on T-mobile with gevey sim unlocked; I’d like to have it unlocked so I can upgrade to iOS 7. Thank you!

  16. Nick Starck (@nickstarck) - 11 years ago

    I would love a free unlock on my Verizon Wireless iPhone 5 because I’m going to be doing some travelling across South America soon. They won’t unlock it because I’m “new” (6 months, come on!). It’d also be fun to see if the Verizon phone would work with other SIM cards in the US (like the ones from Walmart). Please please!

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Give them a call to verify this in case I’m wrong, but I believe that many over Verizon’s iPhone 5 units had to ship unlocked due to some FCC / legal issues. I don’t know all the details, but it is very likely that yours is unlocked already and will work with no problem if you insert a South American SIM card.

  17. dave - 11 years ago

    Why is the Verizon unlock so much more expensive than AT&T?

  18. Libby Harris - 11 years ago

    I would love to unlock my phone as I travel abroad a lot and want to use the countries local wireless company so I don’t have to pay crazy roaming fees

  19. i got my Gold iPhone 5s unlocked from him YESTERDAY and today he is giving out discounts. not good.
    but yeah i got mine unlocked cause i personally want to use it on my vacation and unlocking should be LEGAL. It should be your choice

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Hey there.

      If the money is an issue, please send me an email, I can refund you the difference ($7 difference for iPhone 5S I believe?) if you need me to. I do not like making customers upset.

  20. Landon Graves (@stsnoc) - 11 years ago

    I would like an unlock so I could pass this onto my father and have a good excuse to get a gold iphone.

  21. Ryan Smith - 11 years ago

    Going to Mexico and need an unlock!

  22. I would totally unlock so I can sell it and get a iphone 5s and get bumped to 32 gig for no extra out of pocket money!

  23. psychonova - 11 years ago

    I would like to win a free unlock to increase the value of my phone. I currently can’t afford the asking price of the Unlock.

  24. Aydin Amoli - 11 years ago

    I pay so much in roaming chargers overseas not to mention the 200MB data limit while in the US plus the monthly charges and fees. It would be nice to at least have the option to choose my carrier. Thank you!

  25. abh_sc (@abh_sc) - 11 years ago

    Love the service, I travel internationally as my daughter is studying in London and the roaming charges are criminal! I would love to have the unlock, so my 5s could use a local SIM.

  26. Ayo_Bry (@Ayo_Bry) - 11 years ago

    I want to unlock my iPhone 5S because I want FREEDOM!!! Already signed 2-yr contract with ATT&T already, at the very least set my ip5S FREE!!!. Thank you.

  27. codapr - 11 years ago

    Wow, I want to unlock mine!

  28. gdsingh - 11 years ago

    Travel a lot so would love to have it unlocked so I can use international pre-paid plans!

  29. Joseph O'Driscoll - 11 years ago

    I’d truly enjoy setting my iPhone free of restrictions and opening it to the possibilities of future re-use on any carrier.

    However, I’m on Verizon Wireless, will I still qualify for this promotion of a free unlock?

  30. fusionunlock does AT&T unlock for $1.49. It takes a day, but it is almost free.

  31. Dave O (@daveyo23) - 11 years ago

    I’d like to use my phone on t-mobile. At&t doesn’t have a strong signal in my area.

  32. Nik Sauer - 11 years ago

    I’d love to unlock a friend’s iPhone so she can use it today and can stop asking me when her carrier will unlock it.

  33. Verizon iPhones come UNLOCKED out of the box, so that’s a bit of a scam!!

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Not a scam at all buddy, I always make sure to tell folks who ask about it that their device is unlocked, but what you actually may not know is that the iPhone 4S on Verizon does not ship unlocked.

  34. Francois Desmeules - 11 years ago

    I Would like to unlock my Iphone to use abroad.

  35. Craig Hart - 11 years ago

    I will be traveling to Europe in the spring with school and do not want to pay the huge fees in place by AT&T when traveling abroad. Being a college student is expensive and I don’t need to pay AT&T $120 for 800MB $60 for texting and $30 for calling when I can get EE with unlimited text talk and 20GB of data for 61 Euros! My iPhone will also be my camera so it would be great to have an all in one for the trip! Would love to win!

  36. itsmeminh - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock my iPhone 5S to give to some Nigerian prince. He promised he would wire me money for an unlocked phone :)

  37. Ted Morgan (@dfwtbear) - 11 years ago

    I’m going to get a new phone at full price and would like to sell my iPhone 5 and get a better price for it, thanks!!

  38. B.J. Swinson - 11 years ago

    Would love an unlock for my phone as I’m going out of the country for my honeymoon and would love to be able to have a phone to use!

  39. Chris Myers - 11 years ago

    i like to unlock so i can use my phone overseas and increase the resale value.

  40. Douglas Brace - 11 years ago

    I travel overseas several times a year and when I go I have to take two different phones with me. An unlocked iPhone 4 and my iPhone 5. I take the unlocked iPhone 4 so I can purchase a pre-SIM card and pop it right in. I bring my iPhone 5 because it has a better camera. I don’t like traveling with two iPhones. It would make my life easier if I only carried one iPhone when I travel overseas. I hope I win a free coupon.

  41. Parvez Aujla - 11 years ago

    I’d love to unlock my phone so i can send it to a family member overseas who would enjoy having an iPhone!

  42. Bobby Hata - 11 years ago

    Passing down my att iphone4s to wife on tmo

  43. Caroline Cheung - 11 years ago

    Would love to increase the value of my iPhone and also take it with me internationally!!

  44. landoncube - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock to throw off the theoretical and actual shackles of “The Man.”

  45. Biju Egwuonwu - 11 years ago

    I want to unlock my phone so I can use a local carrier when traveling to Nigeria with my family this December.

  46. Christopher Armenia - 11 years ago

    AT&T will unlock your iphone for free after your contract is up or you upgrade to a new phone. They just unlocked iPhone 5 yesterday when I got the 5s. Go to this link to request an unlock:

    https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/termsAndCondition

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Absolutely a good choice, nothing beats free! If AT&T allows you to go through them at no cost (as long as you don’t mind waiting a few days), definitely go through them or any contract-free or upgraded units.

  47. Damn, I just unlocked mine last week!

  48. Going overseas for school and would love an unlock! Thank You!

  49. I bought an iPhone 5 from Amazon from a US seller. I have been using for the past 5 months and i just updated to the latest iOS7 and now i cannot activate my iPhone as it requires a valid sim from a valid operator. i didn’t knew it wasn’t a factory unlocked phone until now. I have been trying to ge in touch with the seller from Amazon and so far I’m unable to activate the iPhone. This chronic unlock would help me out to unlock my iPhone and would be able to use it again.

  50. Andy Blanchard - 11 years ago

    I travel to Zimbabwe about every year or two for humanitarian aid purposes & would love to be able to use my new 5s instead of the 3GS I’ve kept for international use.

  51. Juan Cabrera - 11 years ago

    I would like to win the unlock since there is no rebate code for us Canadians :(

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      What network are you on my friend? We have very limited abilities when it comes to Canadian unlocking, but get in touch and I will see if I can accommodate you with a code.

  52. wildmarkets - 11 years ago

    This is expensive! Can be done much cheaper!!!

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Hello wildmarkets!

      Many are well-aware. I invite you to please read the explanation in the post here. We cater specifically to the US-based individuals who need to unlock. There are many other methods provided to US or EU resellers that have sketchy origins, but unlike many resellers who provide low prices, we do not go through them (we instead work direct) because we do not know if their methods are legal in the USA, whereas ours have been vetted and verified by lawyers, not to mention the fact that if an untrustworthy individual gets a hold of your IMEI they are able to get personal details such as your name + address + last 4 digits of SSN + more, so we are as careful as possible. This is also why, unlock most websites out there, we utilize SSL to assure our customers are safe.

      Thank you for voicing your concern and I hope you have a pleasant day.

  53. Jimi Wes (@jimiwes) - 11 years ago

    FWIW, hackiphone.me offers AT&T unlocks for $10. The turn-around time is literally 10-15 minutes and your iPhone’s IMEI has been whitelisted.

    Until competitors are on par with that quality of pricing and customer service, all of my iPhone’s (now and future) will be unlocked with hackiphone.me.

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Although I cannot advocate it for US-based people because I do not know his methods (as I’ve mentioned before, I have spent quite a bit of money on lawyers to make Chronic Unlocks unlock methods compliant with US law, and I know that he is based in Canada + Dubai), if you are not within the US then consider this my virtual thumbs up to Ron. He is an excellent guy and you’ve made a good pick in working with him.

      Legality aside, at least with Ron’s unlocking methods that you’re using, I do know that he is very trustworthy and would never do anything bad with the data that some folks out there would otherwise be able to get using your IMEI. Again, top notch services there.

      Thanks for your post and I hope you have a nice day!

  54. I travel out of the country and would love to have an unlocked phone so I can actually use my phone while traveling to stay in touch with my family. When I bought my phone I was told it was unlocked but later found out that it was not :-( please help me…..

  55. Lanig (@luvchild328) - 11 years ago

    I’d like to unlock my iPhone because I am moving abroad to the UK for 8 months and I would like to be able to use a UK sim card with it.

  56. Mike Leardo - 11 years ago

    I’d like to get a free unlock so that I can use the phone for testing network noise issues in certain locations with different carriers for my senior project at university of miami. If i could get the unlock for free that would be awesome and i won’t have to get another phone to run tests!

  57. Fred Hall (@fred__hall) - 11 years ago

    Plan to take the wife to Australia for our 10th anniversary….would like to be able to use the iPhone down under

  58. Austin Shalit - 11 years ago

    I would love to able able to unlock my AT&T iPhone 5S because I travel out of the country a lot. It sucks to be with out the phone you are in love with for a while.

  59. Brandon Pacheco - 11 years ago

    Id like to unlock my iphone 5 so when I give it to my Mom she can use it on t-mobile.

  60. Kenny Ng - 11 years ago

    i recently bought a new iphone 5s for my father using my savings from my part time jobs back in summer holidays.due to my limited savings i can only afford a locked iphone 5s. my father’s birthday is close soon and he is new to iphones so i would really hope it can be unlocked since he always work oversea.
    i would really appreciate it :)

  61. tigerpork - 11 years ago

    there are legit unlock sites that can do it for a lot cheaper than this. This is way overpriced.

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Hello!

      I invite you to take a look at my replies to a few other comments here in regards to the differences between what Chronic Unlocks is offering, and what others are providing.

      Thank you for your concern and I hope you have a nice day!

  62. claytonkimball - 11 years ago

    I’ve had good experiences with iphoneimei.info for a $10 unlock. You can also use the site just to quickly check if a phone is locked.

  63. amolle - 11 years ago

    I have been telling my friends about Chronic Unlocks, but ironically I can’t unlock myself now because as a student I can’t afford it.

  64. Siddhardha Polimetla - 11 years ago

    I’m going to travel frequently to abroad…..need to unlock my new iPhone 5S………………..

  65. pateljj04 - 11 years ago

    I would like to be able to us my iPhone abroad mostly. And hopefully get it on t-mobile pre-paid once its unlocked! :)

  66. standardpull - 11 years ago

    It is not transparent in terms what they are doing. If it is a remote, software only endeavor then maybe they are unlocking via Apple’s unlock service – something that Apple owns and controls.

    So I speculate that the unlock basically takes advantage of the “social loopholes” of the service – such as pretending that the customer is a member of the US military deployed overseas. Perhaps they have a lone person under contract that is a member of the military stationed overseas, clicking that “yes I am a member of the US military stationed overseas button” and therefore skirting the law. That would certainly be violating the spirit of a law in place for the hardship of overseas members of the military. All in the name of easy profit.

    That wouldn’t be their angle, would it?

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Hello,

      My friend, I am quite offended that anyone would ever do that to get a device unlocked, and I surely hope that isn’t the case with any other unlocking company. That would be very bad. Nonetheless, I want to assure you that Chronic Unlocks doesn’t do anything like that at all. You’d actually be able to tell, because that method requires military ID, deployment papers (I believe), and more, not to mention it takes about a week to go through.

      In fact, I have had deployed folks email me saying that they want to be able to call home, but AT&T has been giving them so much trouble in regards to getting an unlock for their device, they’d rather pay me to do it. So in those cases, I get them hooked up with an unlock for free, just because I am angered that AT&T would bother these folks (who are risking their lives for our country) about semantics, such as checking if they are deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, as apparently if you’re deployed elsewhere you are not eligible and I think that is absolutely insane. Anyway, to reiterate, I have a lot of respect for the military and would never use such a “method” to make money.

      I hope this clears things up a bit for you. I apologize for not being able to give direct answers in regards to how exactly things are done, but I just wanted to make sure you are aware that I’d never even dream of using an immoral method like this for the sake of money.

  67. Brian Perry - 11 years ago

    I want to divorce AT&T.

  68. I’d love to be able to to unlock my phone so I’ll be able to use it when I go to study abroad soon. It will be really useful to be able to use my phone in case I get lost or anything. Thanks!

  69. Jose Luis Orozco - 11 years ago

    I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 and I do travel extensively to Latin America. I would love to participate in the contest for the free unlocking. I noticed no special discount offer code for phones other than iPhones. Will that come soon to non iPhone users?

  70. Aiden Arnold - 11 years ago

    I’m looking to unlock my old iphone so I can give it to my mom. She hasn’t had an iOS device before and is eager to try one.

  71. Eugene Rossitch - 11 years ago

    I’m traveling internationally in April and would love to use my iPhone 5!

  72. pedro2nr - 11 years ago

    I would love to unlock my iPhone 5 to use when I visit my relatives in South America.

  73. edgar431 - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock my iPhone because I live in the border between Mexico and USA and the data roaming fees are just huge. I need to travel back and forth to Mexico so it would be great if I could use my iPhone and use with different carriers.

  74. I travel outside the US and could really use an unlocked phone. It’s very expensive using international roaming and unfair to a longstanding ATT customer who has no intention in canceling, or subverting, his account!.

  75. Stanley Kim - 11 years ago

    if you unlock with this service, does the phone stay unlocked if you restore or upgrade the iOS? what happens if you needed to have that phone replaced by apple care and you get a new phone, does the unlock carry over to the new IMEI?

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Absolutely, stays unlocked forever.

      If you need to replace the phone for any reason, you can get in touch with our Support and just show proof that the replacement occurred (for example, with the Genius Bar it’d be a Work Authorization Form) and if they didn’t transfer the unlock to the new unit like they should have done, we will take care of it free of charge.

  76. dheena2586 - 11 years ago

    I would love to get it unlocked coz of my passion for iphone as i do not wanna use any other phone when i travel internationally.

  77. This is perfect timing! After going through hell with activation on a carrier and ending up with a brand new replacement iPhone 5 from Apple, I’d love to be able to move around and make this phone a bit more valuable, to boot! Thanks!

  78. Gary Meade - 11 years ago

    I’ll be traveling soon to Great Britain, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and South Africa (where I’ll be volunteering in a conservation and education program). Having an unlocked iPhone would make my international travel much easier. Thanks!

  79. David Park - 11 years ago

    I’d love to be able to unlock our T-Mobile iPhone 5. My wife’s unexpectedly headed to Canada for work, and it’s a huge stretch to our budget as it is without having to juggle roaming and international data costs and issues. Unlocking the phone would allow us to use a local service with a known cost, instead of relying on T-Mobile to charge fairly.

    Thank you for considering us!

  80. Felipe Castillo - 11 years ago

    or you could just goto http://udids.net/ the bad thing is that they are only for at&t but $9.99 for it isn’t bad and they did it quick!

  81. Mike Tanasy - 11 years ago

    I’d like to unlock my phone so I can use it outside of the USA.

  82. STN - 11 years ago

    Reblogged this on Simply Trending News and commented:
    Upgrade your iPhone to 5C/5S for free

  83. Travis Woods - 11 years ago

    I would love to be able to unlock my iPhones.

  84. mjp (@mjp80mpls) - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock my phone so I can sell it for more money.

  85. Matthew Schwartz - 11 years ago

    I’d love a Verizon unlock for my iPhone since I travel abroad a lot, and Verizon international charges are some of the most insane things I have ever set my eyes on in my entire life. Help me ChronicUnlocks, you’re my only hope.

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      What type of Verizon iPhone do you have, Matthew? The newest ones ship unlocked out of the box, so there would actually be no need for our services, you can just pop in an unsupported SIM!

  86. avonord - 11 years ago

    This is way cheaper than the Rogers $50 unlock fee. But it’s even better if it’s free. So, pick me!

  87. Vincent Luong - 11 years ago

    i’m broke from buying the iphone 5s, so i need to get it unlocked so i can move from att to tmobile for their cheaper plan.

  88. Kenneth Poon - 11 years ago

    I’d love a free unlock, especially since it is so expensive here in Canada! This way I can give the iPhone 5 to my dad (who is on Fido).

  89. Nick Huth (@nickhuth) - 11 years ago

    I’d love to be able to unlock my phone for use when I travel to Canada (every 3 weeks) for business. If I could unlock it – I would be able to put a pre-paid Canadian SIM card for use while I was there as opposed to relying on FaceTime for all communication with my family in the US.

  90. Stephan Romeo - 11 years ago

    I would love to unlock my phone since we are traveling to Cambodia and want to stay in touch

  91. AirDJ31 - 11 years ago

    Dumb question: Can I unlock my 4S on Sprint, via ChronicUnlocks? I’d like to unlock so I can raise the value of my 4S (In great condition, btw) so I’ll be able to afford my 5s.

  92. SPN (@spn1971) - 11 years ago

    Would like to unlock my iphone so I can give it my mother that lives abroad.

  93. Paul Selby (@paul_selby) - 11 years ago

    Would love an unlock for an older iPhone model I’m replacing with a newer model.

  94. aliip5 - 11 years ago

    The most convenient thing is with unlocked iPhone i can use any carrier’s sim without any issue.

  95. Eric Nelson (@akdcen) - 11 years ago

    I’d love an unlock so I can use a local provider’s SIM when traveling overseas. Way cheaper than using my US carrier’s international minutes/data plan

  96. Jose Martin (@iam_jmr) - 11 years ago

    I recently had to travel to Ecuador and I’m gonna be staying here for a while. I would love to be able to use my iPhone 5 instead of buying a dumbphone. Thanks for this contest!

  97. I’d really appreciate a free unlock! I’m a graduate student and could really save a lot of money going to a pre-paid wireless plan. Thanks for the consideration!

  98. Christopher Pugel - 11 years ago

    it would be great to be unlocked and free

  99. Charles Red Adam - 11 years ago

    Thank you for considering me to have my iPhone4 unlocked. I’m waiting for my iPhone5s, gold, to arrive in October.

  100. zaglulj - 11 years ago

    I would love to have my phone unlocked so I can switch to my wife’s provider without having to sell my phone.

  101. I’m poor and need this!!!

  102. roysiow - 11 years ago

    Would love to be able to use my iPhone overseas.

  103. Kamran Siddiqi - 11 years ago

    My AT&T iPhone 5S will arrive in the mail shortly (October 7th) and I would love to use it on my trip abroad over the holidays.

  104. Jack McClauren - 11 years ago

    Remember this practice is illegal here in the US

  105. I’ll love a free unlock coz I live in Spain and here we don’t have good alternatives for unlocking

  106. Brian Cia - 11 years ago

    I would love a free unlock. I’m heading to mexico in a month to attend a language school and an unlocked iPhone would provide me additional safety and convenience. Not to mention, being able to have data on my phone while out of the country would be awesome!

  107. Panthera Leo - 11 years ago

    Please unlock me!
    Your fun, iPhone 5

  108. jnice1121 - 11 years ago

    Used Chronic Unlocks for an iphone I sold on eBay earlier this year and it worked great! Just picked up my 5s Friday and been thinking about getting it unlocked just for the extra peace of mind in case I do any traveling in the future.

  109. Rusty Trees - 11 years ago

    My brother gave me his iPhone before being based in Okinawa. It would be awesome to be able to use it, but I will keep it either way.

  110. I would love an unlock on my iPhone 5 since selling it and getting a 5s sounds so appealing!

  111. Shravan Sundaram - 11 years ago

    Frequent travelers to Canada and India. Would love to have my favorite apple idevice unlocked and usable when i travel. Would be a great great help to be able to use my phone when visiting family.

  112. Marc Sauve (@powermarc) - 11 years ago

    I’m oldschool, and i would love to have my first gen iPhone unlocked. It’s in a pristine condition, and this is the only thing that prevent me to use it (And no i do not want to jailbreak) Maybe my parents who are 73 would like to use it. They only use their old flip cell for emergency. Might as well have some decent old phone with them!

    • Will Strafach (@chronic) - 11 years ago

      Hello,

      I just wanted to make sure you are aware, if you were willing to jailbreak, you can actaully unlock the device for free using tools called PwnageTool and BootNeuter.

  113. a01334390 - 11 years ago

    I want my iPhone unlocked because ALL of the reasons :^) Pls Pls Pls!

  114. kplayaja - 11 years ago

    Because… Well… *sigh*

  115. Mars Koz - 11 years ago

    I would like an unlock because my sister has a locked iphone 4s that needs unlocking and i would like to surprise her with an unlock

  116. Asif Ismail (@asifisml) - 11 years ago

    i like to win simply because i do not have paypal service in my country and i want to unlock iPhone 5s and i trust only Chronic unlocks, Both of you ( 9to5 Mac and Chronic) are doing a good job. Thank you for the services you are providing to us.

  117. Harper Peck - 11 years ago

    I am always traveling internationally currently, and currently have to use a $14.99 Alcatel phone. Which means that I can’t always check your blog. If I had an unlocked iPhone I would be able to.

  118. Kody (@kodywillnauer) - 11 years ago

    I also would like a free copy!

  119. I would love a phone unlock to just make me feel better about my phone.

  120. Alejandro (@aloneiraa) - 11 years ago

    I would love to unlock my old iPhone 5 so I can send it to a family member that needs a phone in Colombia. It would be extremely appreciated and it would make two people happy :)

  121. Shawn B (@ShawnB_83) - 11 years ago

    I need unlock for my iphone 5s so I can travel with any sim. Roaming is ridiculous.

  122. Asda Asdas - 11 years ago

    I want an unlock so I can break free of the chains put on by the carriers to oppress its customers that simply want to see the world without paying an arm and a leg in absurd roaming fees.

  123. Fred Cruz III - 11 years ago

    I would love to unlock my iPhone so I can use it when I travel abroad and not incure the high international charges by AT&T. I would love to use my iphone everywhere I go.

  124. avnyc11 - 11 years ago

    I would love to be able to take my new iPhone 5s on vacation and use it abroad instead of my original iPhone 2g that I’ve unlocked which has a razor blade sticking out of it :(

  125. Jimmy Keyes - 11 years ago

    I’d like the unlock because I’m a gear head and just paid 649 for my new iphone 5s, and when i have to buy a new iphone 6 next year id like to be able to get more back for my iphone 5s. Honest!

  126. fluidmax - 11 years ago

    Since I am going to move out of the country I would love to have an unlocked phone this way I don’t have to get a new one.

  127. Harmon Li - 11 years ago

    A free ChonicUnlock service would be great, so that I can use my own phone when I visit family in Asia! No more needing to borrow my little second cousins teeny-bopper phone with stickers all over it….

  128. Fernando Villar Jr. - 11 years ago

    I regularly travel abroad for my non-profit and would love to be able to use my phone when I travel! Thank you 9to5! Best Apple blog site hands down!!

  129. Ellis Markman - 11 years ago

    I would like to win the free unlock because when I resell my iPhone eventually, it will allow me to sell the phone at a higher price. Also, 9to5mac is one of my favorite sites. I am being 100% honest. Usually the first website I go to every morning.

  130. J TX - 11 years ago

    would love to unlock my at&t iphone 5 to give to my mother so she can use on t-mobile

  131. Deangelo Rodriguez - 11 years ago

    It would be awesome if I could get my iPhone unlocked for free because I am a college student who’ll be studying abroad next semester! And having to buy a new iPhone will definitely be a stab in the wallet :(

  132. Wilkie Joissaint - 11 years ago

    Making my iphone truly mine would be my overall answer, because when when any phone is locked, I look at it as a rental. I grew tired in jailbreaking my iphone and using ultrasnow to get unlock. It’s too risky and I always fear I would lose my iphone for tricky task. Too much money was invested in turbo sim, especially that will not work after your update, so losing money is an issue. I usually purchase the highest in model, such as 64gb, but I would need to give up 900 dollars for a fully unlock iphone (why).

  133. Jon Quintero - 11 years ago

    I’ve never unlocked any phone so I would like to start with both my wife’s and my iPhones.

  134. Greg (@gree7r) - 11 years ago

    I would love to win and unlock my Moms iPhone 4S so I can sell it for enough to fully pay for her new iPhone so her upgrade is free!

  135. Landy (@Soydepr) - 11 years ago

    how reliable is this

  136. Landy (@Soydepr) - 11 years ago

    i want to ullock to be free

  137. Landy (@Soydepr) - 11 years ago

    can you elaborate what you mean by spirit of the law?

  138. James Phillips - 11 years ago

    well i am with sprint i moved to America 8 months ago to live with family and i got a phone with them cause i am a new customer i had to pay 500 to just get connected and then when i rang up to unlock they said wait 3 months so i did i rang back and they said they cant unlock my phone cause i have a spending limit they cant till i have been with them 18 months which is bad for me cause now i cant use my phone in Australia when i travel there and i dont wanna hvae to get another cheap phone when i have a nice pretty iphone 5 and i dont wanna pay really high charges for using my American phone in Australia

  139. Max Kraus - 11 years ago

    I would like to unlock my old iPhone 5 to give it to my dad as a present for his 30-year anniversary with his wife, for keeping the family together even in the dark times.

  140. Alan (@Ogden188) - 11 years ago

    I want to unlock my 4s before selling it to fund my future 5s- pick me to empower The Future!

  141. Mitch Dawson - 11 years ago

    Hey guys, I am going to be traveling soon. I am a group fitness instructor and this unlock would help me. I am visiting Mexico and Canada soon to showcase my talents. Thanks!

  142. Eric Finnegan - 11 years ago

    or google: on3 last thing – $5 unlocks

  143. johnd3 - 11 years ago

    If I had an unlocked iPhone I would at last be able to realize my lifelong ambition to become an international man of mystery – swapping SIMs as I travel surreptitiously from country to country, combatting the forces of evil and tyranny wherever they may be found.

    As things now stand I either have to fight them domestically or pay *outrageous* roaming fees, which is giving Evil and Tyranny a real day-to-day edge over me.

  144. Casey Talbert (@CaseyTal) - 11 years ago

    I’d like an unlock, so that I can give my AT&T iPhone to my little brother who uses Straight Talk.

  145. Scott Gershman - 11 years ago

    I NEED THIS, will make my life so much easier

  146. Stanley Est - 11 years ago

    Would love to have an unlock due to the capabilities of wide range vast networks to use around the world. You can’t really take advantage of full technology and it’s aspects unless it’s arguable unlocked to test it open waters(and I don’t mean drop it in actual water).

  147. Patrick M Phillips - 11 years ago

    I would LOVE to unlock my phone!

  148. I have never won a lucky draw or sorts but I will still try :)
    I really need an unlock on my just delivered iPhone 5S Gold as I work in US and travel back home to India frequently and I don’t want to lose my brag value by not using the Gold iPhone 5S because it is not unlocked :P

  149. Raj (@Music_RS) - 11 years ago

    To unlock, or not to unlock, that is the question:
    Whether ’tis Nobler to the Wallet to suffer
    The Slings and Arrows of outrageous international roaming rates,
    Or to take up ChronicUnlocks against a of sea of outrageous overcharges,
    And by unlocking end them …

    ‘Tis I, who would humbly submit self for an AT&T unlock

  150. Patrick Choi - 11 years ago

    is this even legit? these posters saying “i need to unlock…blah blah..” and yet..nobody said anything that it’s real..or legit.

  151. Patrick Choi - 11 years ago

    here’s my reason for needing the unlock… my family members couldn’t afford to stay with att…so they need to move to t-mobile..to help them save money. It’s a desperate time.

    • Craig Hart - 11 years ago

      Even if you unlock it you still have pay AT&T an ETF fee which would also unlock your phone. You signed a contract saying that you will keep a plan including voice and data with AT&T for two years in order to receive the iPhone at a lower price. Unlocking a contract phone is for people who what to roam but still keep service with their current carrie without paying high roaming fees.

  152. Martin Andrews - 11 years ago

    We need to unlock our iPhone as we travel to Europe enough times for it to make financial sense. Please pick me.

    • Neiihn (@Neiihn) - 11 years ago

      That is exactly why I use services like this to unlock my devices. The carriers already have me locked into a 2 year agreement. If I break agreement they still get the cost back or most of it anyways in the form of a ETF. So I should be able to unlock my phone to use local sim cards while overseas instead of being forced to use their expensive foreign usage fees.

  153. oobeto - 11 years ago

    I posted a comment yesterday, but it doesn’t seem to appear. I would love to have the freedom an unlocked phone would provide. It would have been great if this offer had come around a few weeks earlier as I am currently in Australia paying exorbitant roaming fees to ATT.

  154. woody168 - 11 years ago

    I’d like to get an unlock code as I travel to different countries and can use their local SIM cards. Thanks!

  155. Craig Hart - 11 years ago

    One thing that should be mentioned is (if I am correct) even if you iPhone gets unlocked you still have to pay an ETF to AT&T. When you bought the phone through AT&T you agreed to have two years of voice and data with them. The unlock would be for people who want to travel and not pay roaming fees, but keep their service from AT&T and use a local provider when they travel. Everyone that believes that unlocking an iPhone allows you to uses a different network is true, but you have to pay an ETF if you don’t plan on using AT&T’s network in this case. Paying the ETF would also unlock your phone.

  156. Philip Hunek - 11 years ago

    I would love to unlock my phone so that I can give it to my sister who really wants an iPhone but can’t afford it and is on a different carrier than I am.

  157. tm4489 - 11 years ago

    Would love to have an unlocked phone for traveling overseas

  158. Erik Gustafson - 11 years ago

    I’m constantly in fear that Straight Talk and/or AT&T will make it so AT&T branded iPhones no longer work as BYOD phones on Straight Talk.

  159. Alin Matei - 11 years ago

    My brother’s iphone 4 is locked and he is using it as an iPod. I would like to surprise him with an unlock. It would make him so happy.

  160. Air Burt - 11 years ago

    I want it for a friend who wants to sell his 4S and get the 5S. He could use the extra cash because he will probably be buying the 5S outright in order to keep his unlimited data on Verizon.

  161. Christopher Vazquez - 11 years ago

    My phone bill is too high. I’m recently separated from my spouse, have child support bills, a new car bill before the separation, and recently had my hours cut. My food money is counted on to the cent. I’d like to get on T-Mobile’s new uncarrier plans and save about $50 per month.

  162. bernier18 - 10 years ago

    Hello

    I’d love to win because I’m always travelling and would like to use my phone in different countries.

  163. Slim (@slimyoursim) - 10 years ago

    I will give away 15 free “Normal” unlocks to the first 15 people who respond to this message!

  164. madhuusv (@madhuusv) - 10 years ago

    iPhone 5 vodaphone UK is it unlockable?

  165. Blake Smith - 10 years ago

    I would like to win the unlock as it would come in handy and 9to5mac is the best tech website on the net! FOWWW

  166. martinchaser - 10 years ago

    Hi there, I am ordering new iPhone 5s on my aunts AT&T plan. After 7 years in this awesome country i am moving back home to Europe :(

    The iPhone is so expansive there that its crazy; therefore, it will be nice to save some money and to try your service. I have used last year different site to unlock my old iphone which I sent to my mom and it worked great yet little bit too long like 4 days. And it was more expansive since it was in pounds.

    Hope you pick meeeeeeee ;o)

    ps. this is my first comment wohooo

  167. Craig Hart - 10 years ago

    Did you contact the winners yet?

  168. Andrew Wolfson - 10 years ago

    I would like the free unlock because ever since the first iPhone I’ve been buying and selling my phone to always have the current model. This is the first year I haven’t been able to sell my 5 and upgrade and that saddens me greatly.

    Thanks for the chance to win.

  169. chrstncrz - 10 years ago

    I’m on a verizon contract and would like to settle down to a no contract carrier like Cricket. I can’t afford contract plan anymore since I lost my job.

  170. rokikirokiki - 10 years ago

    im a poor guy, unfortunately one (orange austria) is too expensive carrier to unlock. Please help me, i cant find a job without unlocked phone and my personal situation is very bad. like my english.

  171. strafciger - 10 years ago

    why this unlock is to expensive it was really cheep after some time…

  172. Raphael Caetano Oliveira - 10 years ago

    HI THERE, CAN I GET AN CODE TO UNLOCK MY SISTER’S PHONE, SHE BOUGHT THAT TO USE IN BRAZIL, BUT DIDN`T ASK ABOUT UNLOCK. THANKS A LOT.

  173. Jen Melton - 10 years ago

    I paid for an unlock on March 5th. I emailed the company on March 12th to see how it was coming along, as this was past the time estimate given. I received a response asking me a couple questions about my phone. I answered them. Since then I have not heard back from Chronic Locks and they wont answer my emails. They delete posts on facebook from upset customers facing the same problems. It seems as though if they are able to unlock your phone, then you’re fine. But if they can’t, they just ignore you and refuse to give you a refund. Not impressed. Be wary of this company.

  174. Marty Breen - 9 years ago

    Purchased an iCloud Unlock from Chronic Unlocks on October 15th. Today is November 18th and still nothing. I requested I receive a status update several times with their support with no response. Finally had to inform them to give me a status OR provide a refund if they can’t give me a status. They replied with a refund and stated I threatened them. I believe they are doing this service just to take money. There is nothing that will work and will never do business with this company again. There is no reason not to return emails to customers that have waited past the 30 day period that the site states. If it takes longer, they need to state it and not leave people hanging wondering whats going on with their money.

  175. Jeremy Carter-Gordon - 9 years ago

    IT’S A SCAM! 5 weeks later and no unlock. I have emailed three times and no response. You will throw away your money.
    Here are the emails:
    Sent 26th february
    On the 27th of january I received confirmation that my unlock was being processed. It is now a full and I have had no update as to the status of my device. This is far beyond the 5-15 business days advertised. Please unlock the phone as soon as possible and respond with an explanation of the delay.
    2nd march:
    Dear Sir or Madam,
    It has been over a month since submitting payment for my phone unlock on January 26th. I wrote on February 26th have received no response.
    If I do not receive a response by 5pm EST TODAY, I will be initiating a chargeback on the transaction. For the delay I expect to be compensated by a refund of $20. This represents half the original cost, as it has (so far) taken twice as long as advertised.
    3rd of march:

    me to Chronic
    Show more
    1:02 AM
    I am now initiating chargeback proceedings. I will also be submitting these emails to technology blogs and any review sites that i can find.
    ChronicUnlocks.com appears to simply be a scam shell company. I am shocked that you are still around.
    I hope that no one else has to deal with this.

    DON’T GET RIPPED OFF! Take your business somewhere else!

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